Fruit-sizing device



" Jan. 8, 1929. 1,697,917

C. H. KAVANAGH FRUIT SIZING DEVICE Filed June 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet l [raven/Z0 T, 6%07'205 11 [1210 Jan. 8, 1929.

c. H. KAVANAGH \FRUIT SIZING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 Filed mines, i927 Jan. 8, 192 9.-

c. a. KAVANAGH .I FRUIT SIZING DEVICE Filed Jude 9, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet lzzzzemioi: iiaz'Zeslilf 07/1222 2 Patented Jan. 8, 1929.

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Application filed June 9, 192?. serial No. 197,571.

This invention relates to fruit sorting or grading means and alms partlcularly to provide an improved apparatus for sorting.

apples, and the like, and having, among others, the novel features and advantages herein described. The particular object of the invention is to provide an apparatus that will more surely sort the fruit into the various sizes required without regard tothe shape of the fruit, and with less likelihood of injuring the fruit in so doing, and that'will sort the fruit more speedily than is now done by any apparatus for that purpose known to me. I In the embodiment of my invention selected for illustration and description,

Fig. 1 is a front or side elevation with one of the containers removed;

Fig. 2, a plan; 7

Fig. 3, a partial vertical, longitudinal section on the line 3-3, Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow; v

Fig. 4, a vertical cross-section on the line 4-4, Fig. 2, also looking in the direction of the arrow; and i Fig. 5, a vertical cross-section on the line 55, Fig. 2, from the'right.

Referring first to Fig. 1, my novel apparatus comprises a suitable table or stand 1, with legs 2, and a preferably separate stand 3 at the front, or Fig. l-left hand end, of the table 1 with legs 4, and adapted to be positioned adjacent to that end of the table. it

A multi-compartment container 5, Fig.2, is 7 provided and it may be equipped with legs, not shown, for support, or it may be attached along its rear side 6 to the front of the table 1 by any suitablemeans, as hooks or brackets, not shown, whichever may be most convenient. i

The table 1 is provided, Figs. 1, 2, 4, with upright side members 7, 8, 88, between which extend cross-members 9, 10, 11, one above the other in height, and, Fig. 2 a like member 12, at the same height as member 11, and to the forward ends of the last-named members 11, 12, Fig; 2, are hinged corresponding extension members 13, 14, which overhang the container 5. V

' At the ends of the members 13, 14, Figs. 1, 9 2, is mounted a drive shaft 15 provided with a crank 16 for hand. operation. The opposite end of the shaft carries a wheel 17 which acts as a fly wheel and also asa pulley over which may be run a belt if desired from any source 7 of power, not shown. 7 a in the member 10, Figs. 3, 4, are journaled one end of each of the shafts 20, 21, 22, 23, their opposite ends, Figs. 2, 3,5, being journaled in bearing posts 24, 25, 26, 27, secured to the cross bar 28,'the two outside posts, viz, 24, 27, being pivoted at their lower ends to said cross-member 28. These members 24 and 27 and their shafts 20, 23, are thus adjustable laterally toward and fromthe adjacent shafts 21, 22,'and controlled by means of links 29 on the bearing posts, slot-ted to receive bolts 30 with wing nuts on the member 28. These shafts, Fig.4, are provided at theirfront ends with gears 31 each in mesh with the adj acent gear and the shaft 22 carriesat its end a sprocket wheel 310, over which and an idler 32 onthe member 7 runs a chain 33 from a sprocket 34 on the shaft 15, and by means of which the several described shafts are rotated. The ends of shafts 20, 23, Fig. 4," are journaled in laterally elongated bearings, not shown, and held yieldingly in position by a coiledspring 230 about the shaft ends which allow them toseparate under certain circumstances hereinafter mentioned.

, Each shaft, Figs. 2, 3, 5, carries a roll35 of suitable material'as' wood, and the rolls are each provided with a plurality of longitudinally positioned concave, ring like fruit sizing areas 36, each succeeding area progressively from the front end being a little wider than the previousone to receive a larger apple. The rolls on shaft-s20, 23, areprovided on each concave or ring-like area at its Fig. 2 left hand or forward end with an angularly positioned flexible fruit feeding fin 37',

as of canvas stretched over a piece of rubber, each succeedmg fin progressively from the first or front one being preferably a little longer than .and positioned on its shaft a little ahead circumferentially of-the preceding onerelative to its direction of rotation. This can be admitted to that area.

The shafts 20 and 23thus form between ing' and feedingfins 37 placed at a rearwardly inclined angle to the shaft, as stated, it will be evident that, as the shafts rotate, these arrangement acts to free-such sizing area of a roller of its apple before the following one V I fins will lift the fruit, turn it, and push it rearwardlyi toward the next fin and rear of the apparatus, i. e., to the right, Figs. 1, 2, 3.

Resting-on the cross-member 10 and parall. i n

lel with the member 7 is the side member 88 referred to, and the inside faces of these members 7, 88, are padded with any suitable material, as cotton 38, and covered as by canvas 39 or similar material. Substantially midway between these two side members, Fig. 4,

and suspended on the member at one end and an end member 59 at the opposite end, Fig. 3, is a padded V-shaped or saddle meme ber 40, to cooperate with the members 7, 88,

in safely feeding the fruit forwardly.- The hopper 41 on the table 3, Fig. 2, 1s

, preferably divided by partitions 42 into a plurality of compartments for more conveniently feeding the fruit between the pairs of tions 52 into corresponding and connecting chambers or bins 53, 54, 55. v

At the rear, or Fig.2, upper side, of the apparatus, 4, the member 8 has hinged to its upper edge in each compartment by, herein, a wire spring member 5?, a padded fruit runway 58 on which the apples drop from between the rollsv 35 and roll to the several bins 53, 54, 55, for the fruit of different sizes. At the rear or Fig. 2 right hand end of the apparatus is another. bin 590 into which are fed by the flexible apron 60 secured, Fig. 2, along its outer edges to the members 7, 88, and its service edges to the pad covers'39, the

large apples that donot fall between the rolls and into bins 53, '54, 55. At the forward,

Fig. 3,.left hand end of the table 1, at the left of partition member 48 is the compartment 48 into which are dropped the smallest apples from betweenthe rolls at the first space 360 and the apples are guided by a flexible partition 61 into a bin 62 beneath the hop per 41;

The mode of lows: Y

The hopper 41 is supplied with apples and by means of the adjustable shaft supports 24,

using the apparatus is asfol- 27 for the rolls 85, the two outside rolls and shafts 20, 23, are adjusted at'such distance from the two-inside rolls and shafts 21, 22, as will allow the desired sizing spaces 360 between the rolls 35 topermit apples of differentsizes to fall between them. Obvious ly the space 360 nearest the Fig.3 left hand end of the roll will be the smallest and the suc- 'oeedingspaces each progressively alittle fall between the rolls at the first spaceor opening. 380 and on to the apron 61, and the the balance will be fed along toward the rear .or Fig. 3 right hand end by the rolls and feeding fins 87, the apples falling through the proper spaces according to the size as the apples come to them. Usually the largest apples will not fall into the largest space 360, but are, eft to drop from the rolls 35 and to be fed by means of the flexible apron 60 to the container 59 at the extremerear or right hand end of the apparatus, 1.

The flexible apron 60 prevents the apples from being bruised as they are fed to and along the rolls; the pads 38,40, prevent them from being bruisedas the apples are fed along over the rolls; the padded runway boards 58 provide thev same protection as the apples are dropped between the rolls and the V flexible fins 37 cannot injure the apples as they are fed along by them.

Should a stone orany other like article fall in the hopper from which the apples are fed, and be fed with the apples, the rolls will separate, by virtue of the elongated bearingsreferred to, and permit the stone to fall between them without damage to the machine.

13, 14,'carrying My construction is preferable to a screwf threaded type of roller because in the case of the latter, the apples are fed 'so steadily, forward that son etimes when they are a little irregular in shapethey do; not have a chance to fallbetween therolls when they really are of an average size to. do so, and would fall if a few secondsmore time and one or two turns by the fin 37 gave them the opportunity. 7 V I With my construction the fins'do not feed the apples forward so positively and fast butpermit them to linger a few seconds before thefins lift them and turn them over. and feed them forwardly. The result is that the apples are more positively andcorrectly sorted or-sized than they would otherwise be.

Again, rollers without finscwill feed a long or sharp nose apple, though small circumferentially, forward if it hap pens to lie lengthwise onthe rollswhen really. it should not go, and shouldfall through one of the spaces. But my fins will turn such; an apple over so that if it is under size in one di rection or by one IHGa SllI'81'l18Ilt, 'lt will, when turned over, fall through the proper .space when itis reached. .My invention is not' limited to the precise embodiment thereof described and illustrated, but'is more particularly pointed outinthe appended claims: r r

1.- A fruit sizing apparatus comprising a roll sup-porting frame, rolls with fruit sizing areas thereon arranged relatively to each other longitudinally of the frame to provide fruit sizing spaces between the rolls, and fruit turning and feeding arcuate fins on the rolls.

2. A fruit sizing apparatus comprising a roll supporting frame, rolls with fruit sizing areas thereon arranged relatively to each other to provide fruit sizing spaces between the rolls and elongated flexible fruit turning and feeding fins on the rolls.

3. A fruit sizing apparatus comprising a roll supporting frame, rolls with fruit sizing areas thereon arranged relatively to each other to provide fruit sizing spaces between the rolls, and elongated, curvilinear, fruit turning and feeding fins rearwardly inclined on the rolls. 7

4E. A fruit sizing apparatus comprising a roll supporting frame, rolls with fruit sizing areas thereon arranged relatively to each other to provide fruit'sizing spaces between the rolls and elongated flexible fruit turning and feeding fins secured to the longitudinally curved areas on the rolls.

'5. A fruit sizing apparatus comprising a roll supporting frame, rolls with fruit sizing areas of progressively increasing size thereon, the rolls yieldingly arranged'relatively to eachother to provide fruit sizing spaces between them, and fruit turning and feeding fins progressively and circumferentially mounted on the rolls to feed the fruit toward the rear ends of the rolls.

6. A fruit sizing apparatus comprising a roll supporting frame, rolls with fruit sizing areas of progressively increasing size thereon, the rolls yieldingly arranged relatively to each other to provide fruit sizing spaces between them, and fruit turning and feeding fins progressively and circumferentially mounted on the rolls to feed the fruit toward the rear ends of the rolls; operating means for the rolls mounted on the roll frame and meansfor raising and adjustably positioning said operating means to render the machine more compact for shipping. V

7. Fruit sizing apparatus comprlsing a roll supporting frame, longitudinally extended fruit sizing and feeding rolls thereon longitudinally and angularly relatively adjustable with fruit sizing areas of longitudinally progressively larger extent, two of said rolls being supplied with curved fruit turning fins at progressively difierent circumferential points about the roll shafts, a flexible apron secured adjacent to and cooperatively operv able with the rolls to assist in feeding the fruit forward.

name to this specification.

7 CHARLES H. KAVANAGH 

